Leveraging Knowledge and Experience of a Well-Formed Independent Tailings Review Board to Enhance Tailings Facility Safety

Leveraging Knowledge and Experience of a Well-Formed Independent Tailings Review Board to Enhance Tailings Facility Safety

Authors: Theo Gerritsen1, Tamara Johndrow2, Paul W. Ridlen3, Christina Winckler4, Lisa Yenne5
Conference:  91st ICOLD Annual Meeting
Date: June 11-15, 2023

1 Rio Tinto, Queensland, Australia
2 Freeport-McMoran, Arizona USA
3 Knight Piésold, Colorado, USA
4 AngloAmerican, Florida, USA
5 AECOM, Colorado, USA

ABSTRACT

Independent tailings review boards (ITRBs) have been used for tailings storage facilities (TSFs) by the authors for over 30 years under a variety of naming conventions. ITRBs have been recommended in several national and international guidelines, such as in the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Tailings Management Good Practice Guide and are now a requirement in the voluntary Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) published by ICMM, Principles for Responsible Investment, and United Nations Environment Program.

This paper draws on the experiences and lessons learned and discusses key features of successfully implementing ITRBs to support resilient designs and operational excellence. The paper focuses on the interaction between the Operator’s team, the Engineer of Record (EoR), and the ITRB. It also discusses the need for a range of experiences, expertise, traits, and skills in forming effective ITRBs are described and the expectations of all involved parties to achieve an effective team with a shared purpose. Guidance on organizing, supporting, evaluating, and managing expectations of the ITRB are included. The need for strategic planning and formalizing the Independent Review process of this part of a Tailings Management System is emphasized.

 

Download the full paper.

Download

Recent Insights

September 2025
Laying Groundwork for Future Mining: Infrastructure Support by Knight Piésold
September 2025
Challenges of Tailings Transport Pumping Systems in Negative Static Head Applications
September 2025
Hydraulic Evaluation of Tailings Transport Systems in Mountainous Terrain: Density Wave Analysis
September 2025
The Role of Rheology Tests in the Design and Operation of Long-Distance Slurry Transport Systems
August 2025
Safe Dams, Straight Talk: The Knight Piésold Difference
July 2025
Knight Piésold Zambia: Building a Future of Engineering Brilliance and Local Empowerment
July 2025
Water Engineering for Modern Mining: Bridging Mining with Sustainability
June 2025
The Essence of Material Compatibility in Advanced Barrier Systems of Existing TSFs
June 2025
Inverted Barriers in Tailings Storage Facilities: Lessons Learnt
June 2025
Prioritizing the Mitigation of Legacy Geomechanical Mine Hazards Using a Risk-Based Approach
May 2025
Knight Piésold: Sustainable Projects in DRC Through Baseline Studies
April 2025
Advancements in Geotechnical Investigations for the Characterisation of Upstream Tailings Dams in SA
November 2024
Knight Piésold: Commitment to African Excellence
November 2024
Design of a Co-disposal Facility for Thickened Tailings and Potentially Acid-generating Waste Rock
November 2024
Compaction Sensitivity in Tailings Stack Infiltration Modeling: Unsaturated Properties Uncertainty Analysis
November 2024
Volumes of Dam Material Mobilized by Erosion During Tailings Dam Failure Events
October 2024
Estudio de rotura de una presa de jales en la zona centro-norte de México
September 2024
Grouting to Reduce Seepage at Neckartal Dam, Namibia
September 2024
Influence of Pre-Existing Mobilized Zones on B3 Cave Propagation and Initial Subsidence at the New Afton Mine
September 2024
Importance of Indigenous Community Engagement related to ARD/ML and Long-Term Water Quality